Smocking apparatus



Aug. 5, 1947. KELLY 2,425,247

SMOCKING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1946 fiwentor' Menus/1 Kay.

Patented Aug. 5, 1947 SMOCKIN G APPARATUS Hartleigh Kelly, Tennyson, South Australia, Australia Application April 19, 1946, Serial No. 663,395 In Australia April 23, 1945 6 Claims.

This invention relates. to a smocking appara tus.

In carrying out smocking. it is. customary to use a transfer by means of which the dots through which the stitching. is elfected are placed on to the material, it being then necessary for the person carrying out the smocking to pick up these dots with the needle and to draw the thread through the cloth in the regular spacing outlined by the dots.

While this method is quite satisfactory, it is rather tedious in that it is necessary to very carefully pick up the dots. with av needle and thread, a task which requires considerable patience and involves some amount of. eye strain.

It is the object of. this invention to provide a mechanical device which will allow the smocking to be effected without the need of marking dots or the like on to the material, the machine itself being so arranged that the material is held in a manner which will allow the smocking to be effected without any guide lines whatsoever.

According to my inventiona series of members are provided which are arranged to hold the cloth to be smocked in folds or pleats, the members being so shaped and positioned that they can be moved into position to effect the necessary folding or pleating, leaving the material so that the drawing of the thread for smocking can be effected through the outer bend of the fold or pleat.

In order that the invention shall be the more clearly understood an embodiment of same will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the machine in which the material to be smocked and thread tensioning means are not shown,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end section of one of the circular wire frames showing the material and the threads placed thereon.

Referring first to Fig. 1: the base I can be secured to any suitable table or the like by means of a holding bracket 2 and has projecting members 3 (shown broken in Fig. l) fitting into it and holding a support over which the cloth can be stretched. Uprights 4 have bearings 5 suitably tapered into holes 6 to give a slight resistance to rotation of shafts 1 therein. Secured to the shafts 1 are bevelled discs 8 held together by a central member 9 so that this unit can rotate in the bearings 5. Parallel circular wire frames ii] are held secure to the central member 9 by means of a securing frame II in such a manner 2 that they can rotate with the axis of the shafts 1 as their centre.

Disposed on these circular wire frames are a series of plates l2 which are adapted to be moved around the frames l0 towards a plate H which is fixed to the securing frame I l.

Referring now to Fig. 2: an enlarged portion of a circular wire frame 10 is shown, and a portion of. the securing framework ll carryingv the fixed plate l3. A number of plates I2 have been moved up towards the fixed plate [3 in suitable position to hold the fabric or cloth M as required. Longitudinal threads l5 are shown in position holding the folds of the fabric or cloth in between successive plates I2. The plates l2 are suitably disposed on the circular frames In so that the threads l5 hold the fabric or cloth down on to all the circular frames Ill. The smocking thread passes through the top of the folds of fabric in the required manner to give any desired pattern.

In operation the fabric or cloth to be smocked is passed over the circular wire frames l0 stretched over the forward support, the whole unit being moved around in the bearings 5 to a suitable position for working the smocking on the fabric or cloth. Thread is tied to the end of one of the shafts 1, passed over one of the bevelled discs 8 and over the cloth or fabric to the other bevelled disc and shaft 1 in such a way as to hold the cloth or fabric secure on the circular wire frames Ill. The thread I5 is now taken over the cloth in front of the fixed plate 13, one of the metal plates 12 being moved up to fold the cloth between it and the fixed plate. The threads 15 are now taken across successive plates l2 moved up to form the necessary parallel folds of cloth required for smocking.

The above operations give a series of even folds held down on to the wire frame It] by cross threads l5 and the depth is kept even by the plates I2. Should a different depth of smocking be required a different set of plates l2 could be used.

The pleating or folding of the material is carried on in this manner until the required length has been formed into folds, the material being locked in place by the cord each time a plate is moved over so that the material is held by alternate plates and cords, the plates regulating the outer turn and the cords the inner turn.

When the material has been folded to the desired extent it is then only necessary for the smocking to be effected. by passing the needle with thread through the outwardly disposed folds, this being effected either along lines parallel to the device can be somewhat varied and also that the plates which regulate the folds can be constructed of material other than metal. It would be possible to form the entire device in plastics or in metal although a combination of metal and wood is found both cheap and suitable.

The tightness of the smocking and other modifications can be adjusted by varying the diameter of the cords which hold the material down in the plate and also by the proximity of the plates one to another. The depth of the folds can be adjusted by varying the distance from the edge of each plate to the circular wire frames l0.

What I claim is:

1. A smocking apparatus comprising; curved wires forming a, frame, supporting means for such frame, a series of plates movable on said curved wires to form folds of fabric or cloth between successive plates, and means to allow threads or cords to be tensioned across said curved wires between successive plates from end to end of the said supporting means for the said wires to hold the folds of fabric or cloth on to the curved wire.

2. A smocking apparatus comprising; a curved frame, supporting means for such frame, a series of plates disposed in parallel alignment across said frame and movable on said frame to form folds of fabric or cloth between successive plates with thread or cord which maybe tensioned on the frame and which passes between successive plates to hold the folds of fabric or cloth on to the curved frame, a shaft forming part of the said frame, a base, and means on the said base frictionally engaging the said shaft.

3. A smocking apparatus comprising; a curved frame, supporting means for such frame, a series of plates disposed in parallel alignment across the said frame and movable on said frame to form folds of fabric or cloth between successive plates with thread or cord which may be tensioned on the frame between successive plates to hold the folds of fabric or cloth on to the curved frame, a shaft forming part of the said frame, a base, and split resilient means projecting upwardly from the said base and engaging the said shaft to allow the shaft to be turned but to frictionally restrain same.

4. A smocking apparatus comprising; a curved frame, supporting means for such frame, a shaft forming part of such supporting means, a series of plates movable on said frame to form folds of fabric or cloth between successive plates with thread or cord which may be tensioned on the frame and which passes between successive plates to hold the folds of fabric or cloth on to the curved frame, a base, means on the base frictionally engaging the said shaft, and discs on the said shaft on each side of the said curved frame.

5. A smocking apparatus comprising; a curved frame, supporting means for such frame, a shaft formingpart of such supporting means, discs on the said shaft on each side of the said curved frame, aseries of plates disposed in parallel alignment across said frame and movable on said frame to form folds of fabric or cloth between successive plates with thread or cord which may be tensioned on the frame and which passes over the said discs and around the ends of the said shaft and between successive plates to hold the folds of fabric or cloth on to the curved frame, a base, and means on the said base frictionally engaging the said shaft. v

6. A smocking apparatus comprising; a curved frame, supporting means for such frame, a shaft forming part of such supporting means, discs on the said shaft on each side of the said curved frame, a series of plates disposed in parallel alignment across said frame and movable on said frame to form folds of fabric or cloth between successive plates with thread or cord which may be tensioned on the frame, and which passes over the said discs and around the ends of the said shaft and between successive plates to hold the folds of fabric or cloth on to the curved frame, a base, and split resilient means projecting upwardly from the said base and engaging the said shaft to allow the shaft to be turned but to frictionally restrain same.

HARTLEIGH KELLY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 193,169 MacDonald July 17, 1877 647,836 I-Iurlbut Apr. 17, 1900 273,296 Maybee Mar. 6, 1883 

